Jimenez: Philippines' tourist numbers on the rise

MANILA, Philippines — Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez Jr. has reported that in the first quarter of 2012, inbound visitors to the Philippines grew by 16 percent, amounting to 1.15 million foreign tourists.

During the Forum on Harnessing the Growth Potentials of Tourism at the 45th Annual Meeting of Board Governors of the Asian Development Bank last Wednesday, Jimenez said, “From this record we have now achieved 25 percent of our target international visitors of 4.6 million for this year.”

According to Jimenez, during the first quarter period, the markets have shown great response to the Department of Tourism’s (DOT) promotional activities and new guidelines.

“China grew by 77 percent; Korea continuous to register double digit growth at 16 percent, Taiwan grew by 37 percent, Australia 18 percent, UK and Germany had 21 percent and 18 percent respectively,” he said.

Jimenez said these developments auger well for the joint efforts undertaken by the DOT and its partners from national government agencies and the private sector.

“This shows that the seeds planted last year are starting to bear fruit as we’ve seen more visitors coming in the country via scheduled flights and chartered services and now even cruise ships,” he said.

Based on the study undertaken by the National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB), the tourism sector accounts for only 5.8 percent of the country’s gross domestic product.